Stories about Digital Activism from July, 2009
Russia: Riot Police Break Up Opposition Rally
Some 100 protesters gathered for an unsanctioned opposition rally in central Moscow on Friday. At 6 PM, hundreds of riot police broke up the rally, detaining 47 people, some of whom were said to be journalists and passerby.
Iran: Mourning the Victims of Protest
Thousands of Iranians gathered in Behesht Zahra cemetery in Tehran on Thursday to commemorate Neda Agha-Soltani and the victims of the protest movement. Dozens have been killed and hundreds jailed.
Cuba: Political Prisoners
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense reports that while one former political prisoner has started a blog, another Cuban human rights activist “faces up to 8 years in prison if convicted...
Barbados: Corruption Legislation Needed
“It doesn’t matter how many tens of millions of dollars are missing at the end of a major project, no one ever goes to jail”: Barbados Free Press suggests that...
Jamaica: Capturing Pellew
Concerned about plans by private owners to develop Pellew Island, Snailwriter has a plan: “The Tainos ‘owned’ Jamaica until the men in Columbus’s ships took it…I figure I have as...
Gabon: Presidential Candidate Uses Social Media in Historic Election
As Gabon prepares for its first election since the death of Omar Bongo, one candidate, whose rivals who include the current prime minister, Jean Eyeghe Ndong, and Bongo's own son, is using social media to level the playing field.
Russia: Activists Appeal To Iranian Opposition
On July 26, LJ user dobrokhotov wrote (RUS) about a rally in front of the Iranian embassy in Moscow, organized by the Russian democratic youth movement “We” in support of...
Brazil: Fighting for more recycling with the Electronic Waste Manifesto
In Brazil, a bill regarding the disposal of solid residuals has been amended to exclude electronic waste. As a first step to fight this change, an Electronic Waste Manifesto has been created to gather netizens' support for more recycling of electronics.
Pakistan: Citizen Media Vs. Print Media
Hina Safdar at Chowrangi informs of a recent dispute between a blog vs. some journalists. The pkpolitics.com blog exposed some journalists on various corruption issues and some of them responded...
Colombia: Hiperbarrio Featured at Periodismo Ciudadano
The citizen media project HiperBarrio from Medellín, Colombia continues to receive worldwide attention. They were recently featured in a series of videos created by the Spanish website Periodismo Ciudadano.
Haiti: Secret Funeral
Haitian blogger Wadner Pierre reports that Kenel Pascal, “who appears to have been gunned down by UN occupation troops”, was given a secret funeral “because the priest and family were...
Belarus, Russia: Bloggers React to Graphic Chechen War Video
On July 3, Belarusian blogger Tatsiana Elavaya posted a provocative video showing the assassination of captive Russian soldiers by Chechen guerrillas during the 1999 war in Chechnya. The video had been available elsewhere before, but when Tatsiana posted it on her blog, the reaction of the Cyrillic blogosphere was unprecedented.
United Kingdom: Barcamp Transparency in Oxford
Around 50 people gathered for Barcamp Transparency at the Oxford University Club last Sunday to discuss issues of transparency in open government, social media and cyberactivism.
Bermuda, Haiti: Standing Up
“In the 1980s Bermudians participated in the global anti-Apartheid anti-imperialist movement”: Catch a fire thinks “it is time that our new generation continue this tradition and pick up the mantle...
Haiti: What Happened to Pierre-Antoine?
“July 28 marks the 94th anniversary of the US occupation of Haiti…August 12th will mark the second anniversary of the disappearance of Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine”: The Haitian Blogger wonders what has...
Russia: “Russian Software” Project
Profy writes about the Russian Software project, whose “idea is to provide high-quality alternatives to proprietary international software titles and to make sure that these alternatives will also be much...
Iran: Kahrizak, a prison from Hell
Iranian authorities shut down Kahrizak, a prison in Tehran where the election protestors were held. Kodan Ba Estedad shares one ‘victim's story of torture in Kahrizak.
Trinidad & Tobago: Mother Earth
“It’s not how many tractors you have or how much oil you drill or how many smelters you build. But the humanity and the humility of what you do with...
Cuba, U.S.A.: Cabot Journalism Prize
Generation Y has been awarded the Cabot Prize by Columbia University and pledges to use its “prestige and protection…to continue to grow the Cuban blogosphere.”
Jamaica: Dancehall & Child Abuse
As the Jamaican government introduces a child pornography bill, Jamaica Salt makes it clear that the blame for the rise in child abuse on the island cannot be laid squarely...
Cuba: Light & Shadow
“This was the speech of the ‘shadow’ because light is something the authoritarians cannot tame…Raúl Castro is right: we can no longer see him, because the twilight he represents lacks…any...
